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Bye!

This blog is probably not going to be updated. It might be. It will stay up. But my blog is now at http://lunsh.net/. See you there!

April 10, 2009 @ 8:24 am . Comments (1)

General — Tags: lunsh

I’m not dead

Sorry guys - two midterms on Wednesday. It’s been a little hectic.

I’ll be back on Thursday.

March 10, 2009 @ 8:12 am . Comments (4)

General — Tags: school

Senioritis

A picture to remind me that there’s more to Austin than campus

It’s no secret that I desperately want to get out of school. I’m tired of the culture more than anything - parties, immaturity, people staying up until five in the morning so that when you call at eleven to see what they’re doing for the day, you feel guilty because you woke them up. I’m tired of people still acting like they need their mommies to be able to function at all. I’m tired of people spending their student loans on going out to eat every day because they’re too lazy to boil some water for noodles. I can’t wait to be out of this little tiny apartment and into an actual house where I’ll have the room to move my computer and little television set out of my bedroom. The cats are tired of being here too, already. They’re bored and they hate being limited to my bedroom, a living room, and the bathroom.

I think it’s mostly just walking around and hearing people act like we did back in high school. We all just have cabin fever. This morning Augustus has been whining at the top of his lungs and I have no idea why. Letting him look out the kitchen window helped for awhile but every time someone walks by he gets terrified and jumps down, and then can’t get back up. Sata has been just laying listlessly under my bed, and I know he’s bored and wants to go outside but I can’t let him because of all the weirdos who hang around here and the non-neutered cats who are aggressive and spray all over the place.

And me? I will be very glad when I’m completely done with pop quizzes and dirty carpets and leaky faucets in the bathroom and lack of windows. I always thought I’d love to live in apartments, moving from place to place, never tied down. Then I actually began living in one and it’s killing me (not really - I’m dramatic).

I guess I’m just tired of living the student life. I don’t want to settle down, but I’d like to get out of this area, out of school, and get on with my life. University students, especially the ones here, are so pushy, rude, immature, and self-centered. I get off a city bus and everyone who gets off with me is thanking the bus driver, saying “have a nice day” and all that. I get of a university shuttle and it’s silence. People will yell at a bus driver and then never once say “thank you.” It’s ridiculous. I’m so ready to be done with it. They push in front of you when you’re walking and never excuse themselves, or they bump into you and never say they’re sorry. They’ll talk loudly on their cell phones in quiet areas and expect you to just deal with it.

It doesn’t help that there’s 30,000 of us here. This is a huge university, and you can easily be anonymous or get involved, whichever you want. But either way, you can’t avoid the crowds of girls in shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops, yapping on their cell phone and pushing through, or the frat boys with the stupid polo shirts who walk really closely behind you when there’s no one else around. And it doesn’t help that the university has taken on three major construction projects, cutting off most access routes to the buildings, which increases the crowds along one of the roads so much that you can’t even hear yourself think.

tl;dr? I’m tired. I’m ready to be out of here. Senioritis for the lose.

February 24, 2009 @ 11:32 am . Comments (8)

General — Tags: annoyance, cats, Future, living, school

Appreciation

It’s been the weirdest week ever. It was a kind of bad week but it was more than that: it was just weird. I can’t expain it. It just felt strange, like it would never end, and it was weird because I felt nervous all week.

I dunno. Do you ever have weeks like that? Yesterday one of the cats (Sata) got sick, and was literally crawling across the floor, meowing in a pitiful, scary way. I was terrified he was going to die. He started throwing up and after he had emptied the contents of his stomach he found a corner and just curled up there. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially because Sata and I have become so especially close in the past week or so. He curls up with me when I go to sleep, and when I wake up he always comes in to greet me.

I was scared, but it really makes you appreciate what you have all the more. He’s a wonderful cat and I’m so happy he’s mine, especially because he just loves everyone unconditionally. Last night I thought I was going to lose him and I hated thinking that. This morning when I woke up, and he came running in to greet me, I couldn’t even explain the relief I felt. He’s just the right kind of cat.

What have you come to appreciate in the past week?

February 20, 2009 @ 8:12 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: cats, lessons, pets

Cats!

Augustus - cutest but most annoying cat in the world.

Awhile ago I had mentioned J and I were going to get another cat, because of our currently temperamental cat Augustus. I talked about how nervous I was because I wasn’t sure how Augustus was going to react. He’s always been moody and extremely clingy, and my hope was that with another cat, he’d have something besides us to cling to. I picked up our new cat, which we renamed Sata, from my coworker, and then we were on our way on the cat journey.

Sata is eight years old according to the vet, but I think he’s younger. He’s adorable and quiet. He drinks from the sink and sleeps in there too. He’s completely white all over - as you can see, he’s not tan, or brown, and he has no spots. He’s gorgeous.

The first night, Augustus (who is one and a half and does not know what other animals are at all) was terrified and Sata wouldn’t stop hissing at him. It took three days for them to be in the same room without problems for more than ten minutes, and it took a week for them to be comfortable with each other. But here’s the good news - Augustus is still cranky, but he’s less clingy and annoying. It worked!

I’m thrilled to have two cats. They actually play with each other now and when they’re not playing, Sata tolerates Augustus poking and prodding him and whining. Augustus wants to play ALL THE TIME, whereas Sata just enjoys relaxing. So Augustus will initiate playing, but Sata will just wander off instead of hissing or attacking when he’s not up for playing. I can’t even express to him how much I appreciate him putting up with Augustus’ moods.

So it’s been easier on all of us for Augustus to be able to have someone else to pester besides us. Sure, he still pesters us, but at least he’s not completely alone during the day when we’re all off at work or class, and at least when we are home he can play with Sata too. And it’s best in the mornings when Augustus gets antsy at about six in the morning and wants me to wake up, because he and Sata just chase each other around until I finally do. He still meows impatiently, but it’s not NEARLY as bad as it used to be. It’s just annoying now. Before, it was unbearable.

Success!

Hello!

February 5, 2009 @ 10:54 am . Comments (3)

General — Tags: cats, pets

Nervous

Tomorrow J and I will be adopting another cat. I’m really, really nervous how Augustus will react to a new furry friend in the house. For those of you that don’t know, Augustus has been one headache after another. We love him to death, despite everything, but it’s been hard. We’re hoping that another cat will fix a lot of the problems he’s been having.

We got Augustus in April, and he’s a very clingy kitten. When we got him he had all sorts of problems and was seeing a vet almost every week. Since then his health has improved, but he’s still extremely clingy, and as he’s grown up he’s gotten less affectionate. He meows incessantly and has to constantly be around us. He lives in J’s apartment, and doesn’t let him sleep at night because he always wants to play at about six in the morning, regardless of whether we try to tire him out or not. He’s also obnoxious. He jumps onto the kitchen table then onto J’s bar over the sink, knocking everything into the sink. He tears up rolls of toilet paper. He pounces on people as they walk by.

Now, he’s gotten a lot better since we got him, but there’s still problems. When he’s being a good cat, he’s wonderful. He’s quiet, affectionate, and he purrs all the time. But when he’s being awful, he’s truly awful. We’re hoping that the presence of an affectionate, quiet older cat would help a lot because it would give Augustus a companion during the day, something to play with, and ideally, even a role model to look up to.

So we’re going to try it. I’m not sure how well Augustus will handle another cat, but we have to try. If it doesn’t work out, we can always take the cat back, but I’m hoping it WILL work out. Augustus is one year old as of November, and this is an important time for him. I’m hoping that if he sees how well-mannered and quiet the new cat is, it’ll influence his own behavior. Also, I’ve been reading that a lot of this behavior is due to boredom - a new cat can help to alleviate that. J and I also work during the day, so he just sleeps all day until we get home because he’s bored and lonely.

Do any of you know enough about cats to know if this would work? What kinds of pets do you have? Have they ever given you trouble? Share your pet stories!

January 15, 2009 @ 10:42 am . Comments (9)

General — Tags: cats

I’d like to introduce you to…

My new friends!

The white thing in the middle is food.

These are the newest additions to my circle of friends! They’re mystery snails, which are medium-sized (they only get to be about two inches large) freshwater snails. Mystery snails are one of the few species of snails that actually have two genders, and yes, you need a boy snail and a girl snail to make baby snails. They were a Christmas present from J, tank, supplies, and snails, and I’ve been wanting them for months.

I know what you’re thinking. Snails?!

They’re fascinating. Both my roommate and J were skeptical because snails are slow-moving and not that exciting. But when I actually got them, the roommate and J were both fascinated by them. They’re adorable because they’re so small right now, and even though they’re slow you can still watch them wander around the tank. The funniest part is when you look at them, and look away for just an instant, and then look back, all the snails will be in a completely different part of the tank from before. I don’t get how they do it.

We named them Chris, Patton, and Stonewall. We don’t know which ones are girls and which ones are boys, so we generally just refer to them in whatever gender we think of first. Chris is an ivory mystery snail, Patton is a yellow one, and Stonewall is a black one. J loves Stonewall the best, but I like all three equally.

They’re all way better than having some anonymous, similar-looking fish, let me tell you. Fish are predictable. Snails climb up the edges of the tank, hang upside-down off stuff, and even climb up the ferns I have in the tank. They’re fascinating to watch because they move so fluidly. They’re just absolutely adorable.

Here are some more pictures:

January 9, 2009 @ 4:32 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: pets

New Year Meme

So, yesterday it was 80F. Today it’s 45F. Tomorrow it will be 35F and raining. I hate this weather. I hate this weather. I just wish it would make up it’s mind.

Okay, now I know it’s January 4th, but I really wanted to do a New Year Meme. I love memes! I don’t do enough of them at all because I can never find good ones and they tend to be really personal and for some reason I’m terrified of putting my Real Life Self online, but I’m no good at pretending to be someone else either. So here goes, behind the cut. (more…)

January 4, 2009 @ 2:14 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: change, nostalgia

Year in review

Mei Zhu style, month by month.

January:
- Went to Hawaii!
- J and I start going on dates
- School starts up again. D: Always a bad thing.
- My favorite arcade closes down, which was just downright awful.

February:
- For the first time, I drop a class
- J makes me dinner for Valentine’s Day
- Missing the weather of Hawaii

March:
- I start seriously hating my probability class
- Register for classes for summer and fall
- I find an apartment to live in next semester

April:
- J and I start officially “going out” on Facebook (hahaha … ha …)
- It’s a very happy time for me
- Playing way too much The Sims 2

May:
- Get all As and a B
- My brother’s undergraduate graduation with highest honors
- Only a week or so vacation before summer school starts.
- I get my review at work, which is good but I feel unrecognized for my hard work, so I decide to quit
- J and I get our kitten Augustus from the Humane Society

June:
- Summer school starts - studio art and networking
- Still working at the same place (tech support) - haven’t found a new job yet
- Move in to live with J (and Augustus) for the summer
- Working and schooling from 8-5 is tough. D:

July:
- Summer school ends - I’m sad for it to be over because my classes were fun, especially art
- Augustus is a huge brat but we love him anyway.
- Happy birthday to me! I turn 21!

August:
- I finally know what I want to do with my life - become a graphic designer/web programmer
- I move in to my first apartment!
- Playing way too much Mass Effect
- Find a new job finally as a Web Applications Specialist in the College of Education at the university

September:
- School starts up again, and grad school starts for my brother
- The semester starts off with a bang, and as I’m taking 5 classes plus a lab, it’s insane
- My operating system projects nearly kill me
- I attend the career fair, and it is an enormous letdown for the most part

October:
- Microsoft Interview is the crappiest interview ever
- Exxon Interview goes okay
- Optaros Interview goes well
- Seriously stressing about school
- I went as a fairy princess for Halloween

November:
- J turns 22!
- Augustus turns 1!
- My brother and his girlfriend move out into their own apartment
- Nanowrimo starts and ends! I hit about 52,000 words.
- Extremely stressful month
- Second interview with Optaros

December:
- My friends and I start a game of Mage: The Awakening
- My brother turns 23!
- Finals~
- I receive an offer from Optaros
- The semester ends, and I miraculously make four As and a B
- My grandparents come to visit
- Christmas happens
- Playing way too much Fallout 3

Resolutions for the new year:
- Handle change better
- Keep my head up and looking forward
- Have more fun - it’s my last semester at university!

December 31, 2008 @ 12:46 pm . Comments (4)

General — Tags: change, living, nostalgia

Yayyyy!

School is over! Done! Finished for the semester! Only one semester left forever! My life can go back to normal! I can write blog posts again! I can write, I can read, I can play DDR (it has been seriously forever - my muscles are all gone), I can (finally) play Half Life 2: Episode 2. I hate finals so much just because they’re so spread out - I’d much rather get them all over with, but at the university we have three dead days (plus the weekend) after classes are over, and then finals start, but finals are spread out over a week (including Saturday). So you could potentially have two finals, and one is on the first day of finals and the other is a week later. I suppose all that time is good for studying, but c’mon, we don’t seriously study. I mean, we do, but it’s like … goof off until a day or two before the final, but with that feeling of dread that you have a final coming up and should be studying. Two days before we sort of look at our notes over again or read a few chapters. Then the real studying starts just one day before the final exam.

So you can’t properly enjoy the time you have or study during it either. It sucks. But now that it’s over I seriously feel like I’m having a tough time settling down and just relaxing. That’s what happens when you’ve been working your brains out for an entire semester, harder than you’ve ever worked before. No, seriously. This is the busiest semester I’ve ever had. I don’t remember what it’s like to actually have free time. I’ve had some crummy semesters before, and I wouldn’t say this one tops it, but I would say that this is definitely the busiest. It’s been fun, though.

I was looking back, thinking about all that’s happened in my life, and I realized that high school feels like a dream now. It feels like it almost didn’t happen. So much has happened since high school that it’s hard to think back. I remember doing some really stupid stuff but beyond that … I dunno, it’s weird.

So, I think I’m going to maybe start Final Fantasy 8 again, or start Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (best first-person shooter ever. Seriously. Play it.). Either way, I desperately need to just … chill for awhile.

Oh, and by the way, since the URL of my blog changed (from just lunsh.net to tasty.lunsh.net) you may have to subscribe to the feed again (not quite sure - someone let me know if you have to do this).

December 15, 2008 @ 12:05 pm . Comments (4)

General — Tags: relaxing, school, stress

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